Since the late 20th century, theGundamfranchise has captured the hearts of many. With a mix of compelling stories that range from military dramas, comedies, tournaments, and even coming of age adventures, there’s a story for every mecha lover out there.
But let’s consider what makes it as popular as it is. Unlike other “super robots” likeTransformers,Gundams are a realistic take on what could be used as an actual military weapon. Complete with a cockpit, a trained pilot, and even a real-life Gundam Lab in Yokohama, Gundams are a unique concept. But why Gundams? What are their purposes in their stories?
RELATED:Gundam: Best Anime Series To Start With
World Peace Through War
Every Gundam adaptation has a different use for Gundams. InGundam Wing, they’re piloted by a group of rebels(child soldiers, to be exact) to overthrow a tyrannical government. InGundam 00,they’re introduced as a means to make “world peace”, by uniting all nations. As mostGundamstake place in the far future, where humanity has to either move planets or suffers from lack of environmental resources, it’s eerily similar to what’s happening in the modern day - and most it is caused by industrialization; specifically, for war. Additionally, the use of weaponry destroys the surrounding lands, towns, people, even entire countries. Moreover, every year, nations focus on developing a stronger weapon that can be used against potential enemies. Inevitably, there will always be war, that’s just human nature. However, what if those wars weren’t merely just on Earth?
As stated above,eachGundamcreates a new use for the mobile suits, depending on the story. Arguably, it looks good put on paper.G Gundamtakes place in a timeline where most of humanity has abandoned Earth to instead live on space colonies. Every 4 years, each space colony (representing a country) has a tournament with one person each representing their respective country. Depending on the winner, their country will proceed to govern everything until the next tournament. This is a good way to “unite” all nations, as each country has a chance at getting their turn. But power hunger exists, and a period of “peace” can only last for so long.
A War Without Casualties
Let’s go back to real-life for a bit. Countries fight their wars on Earth, usually either a specific country depending on their choosing, or whichever land the other decides to invade. But politics don’t just stop at who can colonize the other. As of 2023, only three nations have launched their own crews into outer space, The US, China, and Russia, with astronauts from other nations joining in at times. Sooner or later, there’s going to be a much larger human presence in space.
There are some merits to this, though. The biggest issue that we are dealing with on Earth is climate change and lack of proper environmental resources. In space, there’s none of that, so hypothetically, if our wars happened in space, there wouldn’t be any civilian casualties, nor negative effects on the environment. Theconcept of Gundamshave already peaked the interest of engineers worldwide. And so much so that Japan has already made two life-sized working Gundams.
RELATED:Gundam: Why Char Aznable is a Better Main Character Than Amuro Ray
MostGundamshave their war settings in space, with the occasional battle on Earth. Though whenever the latter is shown, the series makes extra sure to tell the audience just how devastating it could be. A battle on Earth between Gundams could potentially be more destructive than what we have currently. Tensions between the East and the West have only risen over the years - and with the Russo-Ukraine war rapidly escalating, many are left to wonder if we’re in the early stages of World War III. Taking all of this into consideration,and the popularity of the mecha genre, will humanity look to an alternative option in mobile suits?
Should this happen, we can either do one of two things.Learn from the mistakes of thosein theGundamuniverse, or repeat the same ones. After all, they say life imitates art.
